


Weekend in New England

by WrathoftheStag (Mwuahna)



Series: Giving Themselves [9]
Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: M/M, Weekend Getaway
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-14
Updated: 2016-08-14
Packaged: 2018-08-08 18:06:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,082
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7767892
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mwuahna/pseuds/WrathoftheStag
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hannibal and Will go away for the weekend and visit some local sights.  Fluffy fluff fluff ensues.  Same universe as <a href="http://archiveofourown.org/works/6081417/chapters/13939227">Adult Education</a>, where Hannibal and Will begin dating after the Tobias Budge incident.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Weekend in New England

**Author's Note:**

>   
>    
> 

Will discovered the brochure in a large binder marked _Things to Do_ that sat on the kitchen shelf next to the cookbooks, in the 1760s restored farmhouse they had rented for three days. The New England farmhouse sat on the banks of the Ashuelot River, in New Hampshire, with a view of the nearby covered bridge. 

It still amazed Will that he and Hannibal were together. Had someone told Will Graham months ago that he’d be dating a successful, brilliant, psychiatrist he would have scoffed. Had that same someone also added, “Oh, and by the way, it’s a man,” he would have just downright laughed in disbelief. But there he was, on a weekend getaway with his Doctor Hannibal Lecter. 

And so Will found himself with a _The Vermont Country Store_ brochure in hand feeling something akin to glee. He’d received the catalog via mail for years -- though he’d never actually ordered anything. Will just loved perusing it and reading all the descriptions of the items, things he hadn’t seen since childhood: old toys, favorite candy, obscure food items, even perfume girls from his junior high wore. Grabbing his cell phone, he pulled up the map app and saw that the store was only 50 minutes away from the farmhouse. Grinning, he walked over to the bathroom where Hannibal was in the middle of a very steamy shower.

“Hannibal?”

“Will?” he said from behind the shower curtain.

“Interested in a little adventure?” Will asked leaning against the wall with coffee mug hand.

Hannibal’s head immediately popped out from behind the curtain, hair sudsy with shampoo, “What do you have in mind?” He asked with a suggestive smile.

“There’s a store about an hour from here that I’d like to go to.”

His smile instantly dropped, “Oh. What sort of store?”

“Have you heard of The Vermont Country Store?”

Hannibal shook his head, “No. What is it?”

“Well, they sell all sorts of things: clothing, toys, housewares, food -- but it’s all very nostalgic. Items that aren’t really made anymore.”

“A flea market?” Hannibal asked with a slight moue.

“No, it’s just stuff that’s been discontinued or hard to find. Imports, too,” he added trying to make it sound more alluring.

“If you’d like to go there, we can absolutely do that,” Hannibal replied.

Will smiled and walked over to Hannibal, plying his wet face with kisses, and then added “Great! Let me know when you are done and I’ll jump in.” 

He began to walk out of the bathroom as Hannibal said, “Or...you can save time and get in now.”

Will raised an eyebrow at Hannibal and said, as he placed his coffee on the sink, “Well, one should do all they can to conserve water. It’s the responsible thing to do.”

He quickly undressed and joined Hannibal.

**+++**

The verdant, winding roads in the drive from New Hampshire to Vermont were the perfect accompaniment to Miles Davis’ _Ascenseur Pour L'Echafaud_ currently playing in the Bentley. Will swayed his head to the music as they made the 42-mile trip to the store.

“So tell me some more about this place. We are driving an hour to visit a shop that sells items no longer made?"

"Yes, we are."

“If they are no longer made, then how is it they have these items?”

Will had no idea, so he responded, “Elves?” 

Hannibal smiled and stroked Will’s knee. “Will you be buying anything?”

“Probably not. I don’t know. Maybe?”

“Well that settles that then, doesn’t it,” Hannibal said teasingly, with eyes crinkling.

The Bentley pulled into the gravel parking lot of the store, and Hannibal parked far away from the mini vans, station wagons and SUVs that were already there. 

“Just so you know, I think your car will be fine if we’re not parked a mile away from the front door and everyone else,” Will said with a chuckle.

Hannibal raised an eyebrow at Will. “Come Mongoose, let’s go shopping.”

They exited the car and began walking toward the store, passing a hamburger stand, various picnic tables, and some children’s swings, finally making it to the front door.

Will turned to look at Hannibal. He loved seeing him dressed casually in this way, as if only Will was privy to this side of Hannibal -- not Alana, not Jack, not anyone else. This was something just for Will; Hannibal’s hair falling loosely over his face, wearing a simple blue sweater and navy blue wool jacket. 

The thing about being with Hannibal was that Will was constantly in a state of being newly smitten with him. It almost made him angry how attractive Hannibal was. Will would easily do whatever Hannibal asked of him, an equally troubling and arousing thought to be sure.

When they walked in, Hannibal stopped dead in his tracks.

“What is it?”

“There is so much…”

Will laughed, “It’ll be fine.” He took Hannibal’s hand and said, “Come on. Don’t let the tacky American junk frighten you.” 

Will paused momentarily at the candy section as they walked by. Row after row of giant jars sat with a variety of gummy candies.

“Oh my god,” Will said. “Have I ever mentioned that this crap is my weakness? I will eat a pound of gummy anything if no one is around to stop me.” 

“That cannot be good for your teeth,” Hannibal said eyeballing the gummy peach rings.

“Why is all the good stuff always so bad for you? Okay, we have to get some of this before we leave. Let’s keep going,” Will said.

They explored the men’s health and beauty section, where Will animatedly said, “Look! English Leather soap on a rope!”

“Interesting,” Hannibal laughed. 

They walked through the food section. 

“Hannibal,” Will said, “Bread in a can. B&M Bread in a can!”

Hannibal frowned, “Is it BM flavored?” 

Will laughed.

They looked at _Underoos_ (“I had the Superman ones when I was a kid.”), they perused the toy aisle where Hannibal enjoyed the Magic 8-Ball (“Will a certain darling Professor and a charming Doctor be amorous this evening? All signs point to yes!”), they browsed the kitchen section where Hannibal actually contemplated buying a full setting of red Mosser glass dishes. 

They continued wandering through the store and made their way to the clothing section. Will excitedly ran to the shoe section and pointed out a pair of dog slippers next to a pair of cat slippers.

"You can get the cat ones, and I'll get the dogs ones," Will said. 

"But...why?" Hannibal responded.

Will rolled his eyes, and Hannibal pointed just above Will’s head. Will looked and noticed the socks with dogs on them. He laughed and said, “Now you’re cooking!” 

Upon entering the men’s clothing section, they spied a large hockey tabletop game. Will asked, “Do you want to play?”

Hannibal shook his head, “Not really. I was going to examine their selection of cheeses.”

“Are you afraid you’ll lose, Doctor?”

Hannibal felt the surge of adrenaline at both being challenged and slightly aroused. He enjoyed that this was the sort of power Will Graham had over him.

“Afraid? Never.”

“All right then,” Will said. “First one to score wins.”

“And what exactly are we playing for, William?”

Will had been examining the game table, but did a double take at Hannibal’s face upon hearing himself being called _William_.

“Bragging rights?” he said with less resolve.

Hannibal shrugged, “Well, not quite what I had in mind but that will suffice, I suppose.”

Will swallowed thickly as Hannibal, knowing he had the upper hand, began to move his minuscule hockey players across the field.

“Hey! I’m not ready,” Will said jumping into the game.

Hannibal laughed as he and Will proceeded to play for 15 minutes, neither of them showing any signs of relinquishing control.

“I’m glad we’re only playing for one point,” Will said, eyes never leaving the playing field.

“You are going to lose, Mongoose!” Hannibal yelled and Will laughed at Hannibal’s enthusiasm.

“Okay, killer. Calm down!”

Hannibal’s train of thought came to crashing halt upon hearing Will call him a killer. Will still in the game, noticed Hannibal’s lack of movement and finally scored a goal.

“Ha! I win! What happened to you? You let me beat you or something?”

Hannibal coughed clearly flustered, “I...had a sudden cramp in my wrist.”

“I guess I have bragging rights now. I am the winner,” Will said with a smile.

“Yes, you are my precious winner,” Hannibal said walking over and putting his arm around Will.

“Aw, when you say it like that it makes it less fun to gloat.”

Hannibal smirked as they continued walking.

“Behold, all the perfumes any mom had, or wanted, or received as a gift and immediately re-gifted,” Will said extending his arms and sweeping them across in a spokesmodel-like fashion.

Hannibal looked at Will skeptically, “I doubt either of our mothers wore any of this.” 

“Yeah, you’re probably right. Considering I have no idea if my mother even wore perfume. Although if she did, she’d probably be a _Charlie_ kind of girl.”

Hannibal picked up random bottles and sniffed them. Grimacing with some, nodding with others. When he came across a bottle of Jean Patou's _Joy_ he paused. He gingerly lifted the bottle to his nose and inhaled deeply, closing his eyes.

 _”Sūnus, tai yra laiko ateiti į vidų. Lunch is ready. Bring Mischa with you!”_

_“Yes, mama,” Hannibal replied as he scooped Mischa into his arms, and ran back inside their home. Pushing past his mother, he took in a whiff of her perfume. Mischa, not yet one, gently pulled at Hannibal’s hair and sucked her thumb._

Will had been too busy examining a bottle of _Gee, Your Hair Smells Terrific_ to notice, but then looked back at Hannibal and saw he was gripping the sides of the perfume table.

Will quickly walked toward Hannibal. 

“What’s wrong?” Will said.

“I...have not smelled this since I was a child.” He gave Will a look he’d never seen before. Then all of Hannibal’s feelings hit Will like a truck. An overwhelming sense of nostalgia and melancholy overcame Will, and he couldn’t even begin to imagine what it must have felt like for Hannibal.

“Jesus, are you okay? Hannibal?” Will said as he stroked Hannibal’s arm.

“Yes...I. I’m fine. I’m just...Let me just go freshen up for a moment.”

Will looked at Hannibal’s face with concern and nodded, “I’ll meet you outside.”

He stood helplessly as he watched Hannibal head straight for the restroom.

**+++**

About 10 minutes later, Will saw Hannibal emerge. Will rose from the rocking chair he was sitting on.

“Are you okay?” Will asked softly.

“Yes, forgive me. I don’t know what came over me. I’m sorry.”

Will smiled and rubbed Hannibal’s forearm. “No, I’m the one that’s sorry. I’m sorry I dragged you out here. I’m a big weirdo with terrible taste who needed to see all this junk. Feel free to run away at any time.”

Hannibal looked at Will with vulnerability seeping out from behind his intense gaze. "I am not running away. Not now...or ever.”

Will beamed as he took Hannibal’s hand. 

“Here,” Hannibal said as he gave Will a paper bag, “I bought this for you.” 

Will grinned as he took it from Hannibal and pulled out its contents. It was a book on the history of fly-fishing, and it was probably the sweetest surprise anyone had ever given Will.

“Hannibal, thank you,” Will said and pressed the book against his chest.

Hannibal leaned in and whispered in Will’s ear, “I love you.”

“And I love you,” Will whispered in return, eyes wide, sweeping over Hannibal’s face.

Will gently shoved Hannibal, feeling like a doofy teenager in love. Hannibal grinned widely and then procured a small paper bag from his jacket pocket.

“And also for you.”

Will took the bag and looked inside. It in were a variety of gummy bears, candied grapefruit slices, Swedish fish, sour straws. 

Will beamed then said, “This is very serious -- you giving me this bag of candy, just so you know. It’s practically akin to an engagement ring.”

“Very well, _mylimasis_.” Hannibal fished out a gummy peach ring and handed it to Will as he said, “Consider this a pre-engagement ring of sorts.” 

“Fine,” Will said with feigned haughtiness, then offered his hand to Hannibal.

The two walked over to the swinging bench among the picnic tables, and contentedly sat sharing a bag of candy.

**Author's Note:**

> Sūnus, tai yra laiko ateiti į vidų. = Son, it is time to come inside.
> 
> [The Vermont Country Store](http://www.vermontcountrystore.com/store/). I just went there for the first time ever, while staying in New England for a few days. Hannibal would ABSOLUTELY hate that place.
> 
> The Miles Davis Soundtrack for the film Elevator to the Gallows: [Ascenseur Pour L'Echafaud](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wc4tT-55ZzI&list=RDWc4tT-55ZzI#t=4) <3
> 
> Come say hi and visit me [on Tumblr](http://wrathofthestag.tumblr.com/).
> 
>  
> 
> [Mosser Glass Plates](http://www.vermontcountrystore.com/store/jump/productDetail/Kitchen/Mosser/Mosser_Plates/53541)


End file.
